Embrace the power in the harshness of this winter season through the protective and confident blue tiger eye gemstone. This stone is known to aid the user during times of transition, helping you to manifest and visualize.
Hold this stone before your meditative practice to set intentions and release any negativity. It is especially useful around your throat and third eye chakras, inspiring wisdom and intuition.
I release my parents from the feeling that they have failed with me.
I release my children from the need to make me proud, so that they can write their own ways, according to their hearts.
I release my partner from the obligation to make me feel complete. I lack nothing in myself.
I learn with all the beings that surround me through all time.
I thank my grandparents and ancestors who met so that today I breathe life. And I release them from the faults of the past and from the wishes they did not fulfill, aware that they did the best they could to resolve their situations, within the consciousness they had at that moment.
I honor them, I love them, and I recognize their innocence.
I bare my soul before their eyes and that is why they know that I do not hide or owe anything, more than being faithful to myself and my own existence walking with the wisdom of the heart.
I am aware that I am fulfilling my life project, free of visible and invisible family loyalties that may disturb my peace and my happiness, which are my greatest responsibilities.
I renounce the role of savior, of being the one who unites or who fulfills the expectations of others. And learning through LOVE, I bless my essence and my way of expressing, although there may be someone who cannot understand me.
I understand myself, because only I lived and experienced my story; because I know myself, I know who I am, what I feel, what I do and why I do it.
I respect and approve.
I honor the Divinity in me and in you.
We are free.
Magical Properties: Independence, Vigor, Passion, Fertility, Ambition
Increases originality.
Psychic: AIDS psychic abilities including the ability to easily enter a trance state.
Physical: Assists with recovery after long periods of illness or stress. Helps heal diseases of sex and reproductive organs, neutralizes acid reflux and acts as a sleep aid for insomniacs.
Grounding is a method of consciously reconnecting to the planet. If you’ve been feeling unfocused or “floaty”, the suggestions given here can help.
A simple way to ground yourself is to stand, sit, or lie down outside (I take my shoes off for this). The goal is to be as close to the earth as you can for a few minutes. However you choose to do this, make sure you are in a comfortable position and will not be disturbed for several minutes.
Close your eyes and take a few, long, relaxing breaths. Focus on one part of your body reconnecting with the earth, starting with your feet, and slowly move up your body until you get to the crown of your head. Do this with each breath, taking your time to focus as you go.
Next, in your mind’s eye, envision roots extending down from your body into the earth, creating an energetic connection. Imagine a healing white light coming from these roots, surrounding you, and extending up into the sky.
Lastly, send any negative thoughts or experiences through this healing energy and away from you. It’s best to think of these one at a time, give it time to focus in your mind’s eye, and send it on its way.
Once finished, you can do a few things. What I usually do is gently shake off (or “wipe off”) any remaining negative energy I may feel. Then, before I stand up, I take a moment to thank the earth for its energy and healing. I’ll end by telling the earth, “I love you.”
Note: there is no right or wrong way to do this. This is simply an example of how I do my grounding ceremony. If you have a different way, I would love to hear about it. Please put it in the comments. Thank you.
With love to all and harm to none,
I call back my power from every person, place, or thing,
in this lifetime, in this universe, in this galaxy or any other.
I call back my power clean, recalibrated, and only belonging to me.
So mote it be.
by C.C. Williford
Twas the night before Yuletide and all through the glen
Not a creature was stirring, not a fox, not a hen.
A mantle of snow shone brightly that night
As it lay on the ground, reflecting moonlight.
The faeries were nestled all snug in their trees,
Unmindful of flurries and a chilly north breeze.
The elves and the gnomes were down in their burrows,
Sleeping like babes in their soft earthen furrows.
When low! The earth moved with a thunderous quake,
Causing chairs to fall over and dishes to break.
The Little Folk scrambled to get on their feet
Then raced to the river where they usually meet.
“What happened?” they wondered, they questioned, they probed,
As they shivered in night clothes, some bare-armed, some robed.
“What caused the earth’s shudder? What caused her to shiver?”
They all spoke at once as they stood by the river.
Then what to their wondering eyes should appear
But a shining gold light in the shape of a sphere.
It blinked and it twinkled, it winked like an eye,
Then it flew straight up and was lost in the sky.
Before they could murmur, before they could bustle,
There emerged from the crowd, with a swish and a rustle,
A stately old crone with her hand on a cane,
Resplendent in green with a flowing white mane.
As she passed by them the old crone’s perfume,
Smelling of meadows and flowers abloom,
Made each of the fey folk think of the spring
When the earth wakes from slumber and the birds start to sing.
“My name is Gaia,” the old crone proclaimed
in a voice that at once was both wild and tamed,
“I’ve come to remind you, for you seem to forget,
that Yule is the time of re-birth, and yet…”
“I see no hearth fires, hear no music, no bells,
The air isn’t filled with rich fragrant smells
Of baking and roasting, and simmering stews,
Of cider that’s mulled or other hot brews.”
“There aren’t any children at play in the snow,
Or houses lit up by candles’ glow.
Have you forgotten, my children, the fun
Of celebrating the rebirth of the sun?”
She looked at the fey folk, her eyes going round,
As they shuffled their feet and stared at the ground.
Then she smiled the smile that brings light to the day,
“Come, my children,”she said, “Let’s play.”
They gathered the mistletoe, gathered the holly,
Threw off the drab and drew on the jolly.
They lit a big bonfire, and they danced and they sang.
They brought out the bells and clapped when they rang.
They strung lights on the trees, and bows, oh so merry,
In colors of cranberry, bayberry, cherry.
They built giant snowmen and adorned them with hats,
Then surrounded them with snowbirds, and snow cats and bats.
Then just before dawn, at the end of their fest,
Before they went homeward to seek out their rest,
The fey folk they gathered ‘round their favorite oak tree
And welcomed the sun ‘neath the tree’s finery.
They were just reaching home when it suddenly came,
The gold light returned like an arrow-shot flame.
It lit on the tree top where they could see from afar
The golden-like sphere turned into a star.
The old crone just smiled at the beautiful sight,
“Happy Yuletide, my children,” she whispered.
“Good night.”
Krampus, a legendary figure in Alpine folklore, is a counterpart to Santa Claus with a darker, more menacing twist. Originating from Germanic traditions, Krampus is often depicted as a horned, demonic creature with hooves, fur-covered body, and a long, pointed tongue. His role is to accompany St. Nicholas during the Christmas season, serving as a contrast to Santa’s benevolence by punishing misbehaving children.
On Krampusnacht, which falls on December 5th, people in some European regions celebrate Krampus with parades, where performers don elaborate costumes and masks resembling the frightening figure. The idea is to emphasize the consequences of naughty behavior, as Krampus is believed to carry chains and birch branches to swat or whip unruly children. Despite his fearsome appearance, the legend of Krampus adds a unique and somewhat eerie dimension to Christmas folklore, blending a cautionary tale with the festive spirit of the holiday season.
What do you leave for Krampus?
It is customary to offer a Krampus schnapps!
Also, Krampus does have a weakness! If given a piece of fruit, typically an apple or an orange, by a child, he will sit down to eat the gift, sharing it with whomever is there and engage in polite conversation. Krampus will then leave the area, harming no one.
